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Tag: Minnesota

  • Minnesota keeps burning restrictions in four northern counties as wildfire planning level remains IV

    Burning restrictions remained in effect in Koochiching, St. Louis, Lake and Cook counties, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wildfire situation report last modified July 31, 2026. The same report listed Minnesota’s statewide wildfire planning level as IV.

    The restrictions apply to the four counties named in the report. The DNR dashboard does not indicate that all of Minnesota is under burning restrictions.

    Planning levels remain elevated

    Regional planning levels in the July 31 report were listed as IV or IV(E). The report uses those statewide and regional planning levels alongside its current wildfire information and county restriction listings.

    The planning-level designation is separate from the county restriction list. The report identifies Koochiching, St. Louis, Lake and Cook as the counties with burning restrictions, while reporting the planning level on a statewide and regional basis.

    Limits on campfires and open burning

    In a July 19 announcement about enhanced burning restrictions, the DNR said Class IV restrictions prohibit campfires and most open burning in the affected northern area. That announcement provides context for the limits now listed on the state’s wildfire planning dashboard.

    The July 31 report did not provide a date for lifting the restrictions in the four counties. The dashboard notes that conditions and restrictions can change daily, so the current county list is not a schedule for when limits will end.

    Statewide fire totals are interagency figures

    The report listed 1,013 fires and 82,730.6 acres year to date, based on interagency reporting. It also reported three wildfires in the preceding 24 hours.

    The year-to-date acreage figure is a statewide total compiled from multiple agencies. It does not identify how many acres were tied to any one fire or how much acreage was recorded in Koochiching, St. Louis, Lake or Cook counties.

    For people planning outdoor burning or campfires in the four listed counties, the immediate known status is that restrictions remained in effect as of the July 31 report. No lifting deadline was included in the source material.

    Sources

  • Minneapolis selects Trellis for first phase of former Kmart site redevelopment

    The City of Minneapolis has selected Trellis to lead Phase 1 of the New Nicollet redevelopment at the former Kmart site in South Minneapolis.

    The selection is a confirmed step in a redevelopment effort that the city says will be carried out in multiple phases. The city’s New Nicollet project page was updated July 15, 2026.

    What the selection covers

    Trellis has been named to lead the first phase of the project. The approved city information identifies the location as the former Kmart site in South Minneapolis and describes the overall redevelopment as phased.

    The selection does not, on its own, mean construction has begun. The available source material does not confirm a construction start date for Phase 1.

    Details still to be confirmed

    The approved source packet does not establish a final Phase 1 scope, a final housing-unit count or a total project cost for the phase.

    Those distinctions are important because the city has confirmed a developer selection for Phase 1, while several project details remain unconfirmed in the available information. Further city project materials would be needed to establish a start date and final development specifications.

    Sources

  • St. Paul plans August closure of three homeless encampments

    St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her has announced plans to close three homeless encampments, with Pig’s Eye Park scheduled to be the first site addressed in August.

    The announcement describes a planned change in the city’s response to encampments. It does not mean the sites have already been cleared, and an exact closure date has not been established.

    A coordinated transition plan

    In a July 8 announcement, the City of Saint Paul said it was working with Ramsey County and community partners on a service-focused, coordinated transition plan for people living at encampments.

    The city cited unsafe and unhealthy conditions at the sites as part of its rationale for the coordinated response. The available information does not establish final placement capacity or confirm that every resident will receive permanent housing.

    Housing-placement demand remains high

    More than 1,400 single adults are on a Ramsey County housing-placement waitlist, according to the cited report. That figure underscores the demand facing the broader housing-placement system as the city prepares to address the three sites.

    Pig’s Eye Park is the first encampment identified for action under the announced plan. The city’s transition effort involves services and coordination, but shelter or service placement is not the same as permanent housing.

    Sources